Baptism of Our Lord: “He Calls Us by Name”

1/7/07
Isaiah 43.1-7

In the older liturgies for the baptism of an infant, the pastor would ask the parents or sponsors, What name is given to this child? We don’t do that anymore, I suppose for two reasons: first, because the present baptismal service is a one size fits all liturgy designed not just for infants, but for persons of any age; and obviously if the person is more than a few days or weeks old, asking what name is to be given seems a bit ridiculous. And secondly, the liturgy now begins with one of the sponsors actually presenting the child by name and most pastors, one would hope, could remember the name two minutes later when the baptism itself takes place!

Yet there was something very powerful about connecting the giving of the name to the Sacrament of Holy Baptism! It was an echo of a very strong Biblical concern for names. For the Biblical writers, a name was really a statement of character and essence. To know someone’s name was to know the person himself or herself. Indeed, if you look up the word name in a concordance to the Bible, you will find that it appears in the Bible more than 1200 times a good indication of how important the concept was for the Biblical writers.

Twice in this mornings first lesson there is talk of names. In verse 1, the Lord says to Israel: I have called you by name, you are mine. And then in verse 7, the Lord refers to everyone who is called by my name. Lets think about these two verses, and see what we can learn.

I have called you by name, you are mine. What does it mean that God calls us by name? I suppose the first thing that comes to my mind is the whole process by which parents choose a name for a new baby. Often at this time of year one sees articles in the newspaper about what the current most popular names are for newborn babies. There’s a trend, you know, away from classic names in the direction of, shall we say, more creative ideas, or traditional names with more creative spellings. I can tell you that kindergarten teachers do not always find this amusing or helpful! But it does suggest something of the importance that parents attach to this process. After all, a name once given is for life! It is an important decision! And so lots of things go into the decision. Some parents are concerned to perpetuate family names; some want to honor a celebrity or a saint; some want a name that means something. And many just choose a name because they like the way it sounds. But however the decision is made, parents instinctively feel the significance of this gift they are giving their child. It is a decision made with tenderness and love, one that represents the hopes and the longings that the parents have for that child.

So when Isaiah says that God calls us by name, he is first of all reminding us how very important we are to God, and how intimate is Gods relationship with us. A newborn child, of course, doesnt have a clue what her parents feel for her; perhaps only when we become parents ourselves do we begin fully to grasp that feeling. And in the same way, you and I can scarcely comprehend the depth and the richness and the passion of Gods love for us. But he calls us by namethat is to say, his love for us is as deep and as complex as a parents love for a child. I have called you by name, he says. You are mine.

We use that phrase called you by name in another way, too. For us it can mean to recognize someone. Weve been trying to learn the names of the residents over at Highgate, where Loiss mom is living. One day I greeted two of the women: Good morning, Phyllis and Joy. They responded with smiles, though probably not having a clue just who I was, and then Phyllis turned to Joy and beamed, He knows our names! We like it when people recognize us; it makes us feel that we are important to them.

Isaiah tells us that God calls us by name. He knows us. It doesnt matter whether weve been away from him, or whether weve been avoiding himhe knows us right well. Isaiahs first readers had been defeated in a terrible war. They had been carried off into exile; they were far from home, and they felt abandoned and forgotten. They felt as if nothing would ever be the same for them. And here God says, I know your name! I know you! What a wonderful feeling that must have been.

And wonderful it is for us, as well! In Holy Baptism, God called you by name, called you his beloved child. And still he knows you. Still he recognizes you. Still you are his! I have called you by name, he says. You are mine!

Then we come to verse 7 of our text. Recall again that the first readers here are in exile, in a strange land. God says that he will bring home everyone who is called by my name. What does it mean that we are called by Gods name?

Well, first of all we could say that this implies a sense of belonging, of inheritance. To be called by another persons name speaks of relationship. Part of your name is what we call a surname or family nameit indicates to what family you belong. It tells something about you. Maybe its something good, or maybe its something not so good.

When Lois and I were first engaged, my dear mother said to her something that Im still trying to live down. I want you know, my mother said, what my mother-in-law said to me when I was first married: Johnson men are always right! Well, she did not mean it as a compliment! But when you are part of a family, you carry some baggage-and it may not always be something you want to carry, but youd better come to terms with what it means if you want to understand yourself.

Let me tell you how I got my first name. My mothers parents had five daughters, but my grandmother had a nephew named Richard who lived nearby and who was like a son to my grandparents. My grandmother especially loved him deeply-his father David was her favorite brother, and her best friend. David and his wife died when Richard was a teenager, and my grandparents kind of took him into their own home. Then, very tragically, he was killed in an automobile accident as he was returning to college after Christmas vacation. When I was born, ten years later or so, I was called by his name.

All my life I have known that bearing this name formed part of my identity. My grandmother would talk so often about what a wonderful young man he was. In some ways I know I was always, among her grandchildren, special to my grandmother-in part just because I bore Richards name. I know what she said about him unconsciously formed my expectation of who I should be.

In Holy Baptism, you see, God not only called you by name, but he gave you his name. You are now called Christian-belonging to Christ, a member of Christs family.  That is who you are. Furthermore, that is who you are to be.  When you bear someones name, there is the expectation that you will, in some way, become like that person. Do you see what that means? When you bear Christs name, you are expected to be like Christ, to be Christlike in the way you live each day. Of course that is a long process; we are, all through our lives, growing up into his likeness. Often we dont live up to it.

But whether we do, or whether we dont, we still are called by Christs name, and we are his-yes, and we are indeed precious in his sight, and honored, and very much loved.